


Hallmark'n It

by cellard00rs



Category: BuzzFeed Multiplayer - Fandom, Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Single Girl Plays Sims
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Humor, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21786130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellard00rs/pseuds/cellard00rs
Summary: Shane and Kelsey get snowed in at a strange hotel, in a strange town, and Kelsey's just not feeling the holiday spirit. Shane wants to help, Hallmark Christmas movie style. But as they both give in to the idea, they might find more than either expected.
Relationships: Kelsey Impicciche/Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Marielle Scott, Shane Madej/Sara Rubin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11
Collections: RareBuzzShips Holiday Event





	Hallmark'n It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poiregourmande](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiregourmande/gifts).



“ _Hoooolyyyy_ , it’s _cold_!” Shane Madej cries dramatically as he closes the door of the hotel behind himself and a hustling Kelsey Impicciche. Kelsey, for her part, can only emphatically nod. She’s bundled from head to toe and still frozen to the core. She’d heard rumblings about how this year was set to have one of the worst winters in the nation’s history and brother, they weren’t lying.

It’s crazy outside. Like being trapped inside a snow globe shaken by a toddler on a massive sugar high. Snow, snow, snow! Wild whirlwinds of fluffy flakes and blasting cold winds and…just, a complete nightmare. It’s a nightmare outside and it’s how she finds herself trapped here with Shane.

Well, not _trapped_ , bit too theatrical. More like…stranded? No, that seems worse. A layover? Pit stop? Certainly a hitch in their plans, because the plane they’d been taking from New York to home had had several layovers, but this one?

This one’s looking pretty indefinite. Honestly, she’s surprised the airline even risked allowing them to take flight in the first place. But for now the point remains – she and Shane are here and they’re here to stay.

Frankly, she should have seen it coming. Or known better. But then, who plans a Youtuber convention in December in New York anyways? Whose brilliant idea was that? Spring, fall – SUMMER. Summer is the _perfect_ season for a convention.

Winter? Not so much. But someone had had the wise idea to do it, some kind of holiday special event, and that’s how she found herself traveling across country. True, she could’ve declined, but she so rarely gets to the east coast and she knows she has a whole slew of fans there and she wanted to please.

And, apparently, so had Shane. Which was how they found themselves together. She’d been at the convention to represent Buzzfeed Multiplayer, he’d been there for Buzzfeed Unsolved – they’d been doing their jobs and this was what they got for their trouble.

Shane runs a hand through his hair, tossing his chestnut curls in big ruffles – wet, white snow trailing out in big bursts to fall on the carpet as he shudders, “Haven’t been frosted like this since I was a kid!”

“Chicago winters?” she huffs out, enjoying the puff of her own warm breath wafting back into her face even as his eyes twinkle, “Let me tell ya…”

She looks around, “Where are the others?”

“You mean our fellow Buzzfeeders?” at her nod he sighs, “Think they got tossed elsewhere. Can’t believe we even managed to get a cab outta the airport the way it’s coming down.”

“Urg, don’t remind me of the ride,” she presses a mittened hand over her coat covered belly, “Still nauseous from that. Amazed we didn’t crash.”

“Mm, easily could’ve. Driver seemed pretty experienced though or, y’know, road pizza.”

“FROZEN road pizza,” she adds and he chuckles even as he looks around the hotel they rushed into, “Where are we even? I just told the driver ‘hotel’ and he sped us off to-?”

Kelsey’s not sure. Once they managed to land the plane and get on solid ground they were shuffled around fairly quickly. They had to be. The roads were getting worse by the minute and if they were going to find shelter, it had to be fast. She was expecting some place nearby – the average Hyatt or Hilton, but _this_ place…

Her eyes widen. It’s…nice. No, nice is too simple for what she’s taking in now. It’s…posh. No, decadent. This hotel is _decadent_. How else can you describe a place with fancy woodwork along the walls? Polished floors you can see your reflection in? Marble statues, fresh cut flowers in crystal vases, and antique furniture you’re too scared to sit on?

She suddenly feels poor.

Very, very poor.

Shane must be having a similar reaction, because he mutters, “Place looks…pricey…”

“Yeeeah,” Kelsey drags the word out as anxiety sets in. What was the driver thinking? They can’t afford this! Or, well, who knows – maybe Shane can. What with him having gallivanted off to Iceland for one of his vacations, but her? Her parents had taken care of a trip to Italy for them and even then, it’d been a struggle.

Her?

No way! And it’s not like she can simply have the company foot some big bill! She’s sure she’ll pay for it! Disciplinary action or money out of her own pocket or both and she really can’t afford to deal with either and-!

“Mr. Madej? Ms. Impicciche?” a voice asks and she turns to see a very well dressed individual. He has on a _vest_. A vest and a suit with _tails_. He’s got a golden name plate and a face carved from granite. Serious and handsome, but scary, even as he clears his throat, “I’m the hotel manager. Mr. Olin.”

“Uh, hi?” Shane offers and it’s clear he’s questioning whether or not to offer a handshake. Would it offend this implacably dressed gentlemen? Kelsey shares the same worry, unable to make her throat work to even offer a greeting. Mr. Olin gives a confirming nod as if Shane has just said something very wise, “I’ve been instructed to show you both to our finest suites. If you’ll just follow me.”

“You’ve-?” Shane manages, then licks his lips and looks to Kelsey, who merely shrugs. She’s as lost as he is. Still, he does a better job of finding his voice, “I’m sorry, but, um, we’re kind of…confused?”

Mr. Olin seems unmoved, “We were informed of your arrival in advance.”

“You…were?”

“Indeed. The proprietors of this establishment have something of an ear to the ground,” he pauses ominously before adding, “So to speak. Once word came of your…situation, help was dispatched.”

“Was it?” Shane asks with mirth but frankly, Kelsey is getting creeped. The heck. OUT. A million questions are swirling through her brain and all of them are centered in every horror game she’s ever played. This is weird as all get out. Suddenly the decadent hotel isn’t pretty as much as it’s eerie. Shane, however, merely seems amused, “Am I to take it the cab that picked us up was said ‘help’.”

He air quotes the word and Kelsey doesn’t get how he doesn’t find this super suspect. In fact, he looks like he’s having a blast. More so when Mr. Olin nods again, “Indeed, sir.”

“Outstanding!” Shane crows and Kelsey’s’ blue eyes widen to dinner plate size, because it’s clear her companion has lost his mind, “Lemme guess, you’ve got a haunted room.”

Mr. Olin blinks. He blinks a slow, obvious blink, “Haunted room, sir?”

“Yeah! One me and the lil’ guy will have to come back and investigate?” Shane nudges him with an elbow, “Get you some publicity, make this place go viral…”

Hearing this, Kelsey relaxes considerably, releasing a breath she wasn’t even aware she was holding. She follows Shane’s track of mind now. Of course. Of course this is some trick to get publicity for the place. She has no idea how they pulled it off, but yeah – that must be it. Shane’s totally a few steps ahead of her. This idea makes sense.

Yet Mr. Olin doesn’t confirm it, “I’m…not sure I follow, Mr. Madej. But I can assure you that the proprietors, myself, and the entire staff of The Beacon are at your disposal.”

“‘The Beacon’?” Shane repeats and Mr. Olin looks proud, “Indeed, sir. The Beacon has been a guidepost for many a lost soul. Established in the 1800s, it’s been family owned and operated for over two centuries. If you’ll follow me.”

He waves his hands out in a sweeping gesture and Shane can only turn to Kelsey, whose bottom lip sticks out, shoulders rising and falling in a short shrug. What else can they do? Shane sighs and begins following Mr. Olin, Kelsey at his heels.

The hotel manager keeps up a steady pace both physically and verbally as they follow him around the establishment, “We are a five story establishment featuring 72 rooms with upscale suites. Our guests are free to enjoy our hot tubs, our Olympic length swimming pool as well as the spa, salon, and of course, the fabulous Crystal Dining Room.”

Kelsey wonders if Shane is just as bowled over as she is by all of this. More so as he escorts them to the elevators and waves above their heads, “As you can see, the property has been painstakingly maintained, almost all of the architecture has been preserved in its original form including our Tiffany skylight.”

“Tiff-?” Kelsey can’t even finish the word as she just goggles at the fantastic view over her head. How did she miss such a work of art? Maybe because it’s so high up and so unexpected? It stuns her and she wants to just stay here and look, but Mr. Olin is still moving so she quickly catches up, lets herself be ushered into an ornate elevator next to Shane.

Mr. Olin turns to a man who throws a switch and good lord, an elevator man? That’s still a job? This guy is actually fully vested and employed to do something she thought long since gone? Apparently, he is, the elevator operator dressed just as richly as Mr. Olin who rocks on his heels, “Naturally we still include all the conveniences and comforts our 21st century guests expect. Free wi-fi, television, and so forth, but naturally we strive to uphold our integrity, our significant history.”

“Naturally,” Shane echoes and yes, he’s parroted back a lot of what Mr. Olin has already said, but Kelsey can’t blame him. This is all too much. Too…extravagant. She does funny little videos on the internet – not run a nation. This is one of the most high flutin’ places she’s ever set foot in and, again, she went to _Italy_.

Where on Earth _are_ they? Is this even still in the US? She wracks her brain, tries to recall where the pilot said they were landing. Tries to remember seeing any tacky airport stores hawking state memorabilia or famous city names or-or _something_. But nothing comes to mind and she focuses instead on removing her mittens, her hat – shoving them into her coat pocket as the elevator comes to a stop. They exit into a very Shining-esque looking hallway and she finds one hand inadvertently going to Shane’s elbow.

He looks down at it and then at her and she draws it back because, um, no? Blood rushes into her face and with her pale complexion she knows the blush is more than visible. What had she been thinking, grabbing Shane like that? Just jumping into rando physical contact? Sure, they’d talked on this trip. They’d talked a lot. But it’d been all buddy buddy stuff. Very work oriented.

And it certainly hadn’t been…touchy. In fact, she’s pretty sure this is the first and only time she’s come into physical contact with him. Unless they hugged? Has she ever hugged him? She is known for being a hugger. Maybe at a Buzzfeed Holiday Party? But she can’t remember right now and she just grabbed him and…

…and he takes her arm, loops it through his. Her throat squeezes and she looks up at him questionably. Up and up and…Jesus, he _is_ tall, isn’t he? People talk about it all the time, but it never really occurred to her until now. Now that she’s looking up at him and he gives her a reassuring smirk even as Mr. Olin – who has already exited the elevator and walked several feet ahead of them gestures they come forward.

Shane guides her with no problem, cool as a cucumber, as Mr. Olin sweeps a hand out towards the walls, “De Gournay wallpaper, Karastan carpeting – as you can see, we’ve spared no expense. Now! As to your suites…”

Mr. Olin withdraws an honest to god key from one pocket. He unlocks the door and he keeps talking (of course he keeps talking) about the first suite and its fancy features but Kelsey…her arm drops from Shane’s and she just _stares_. Every time she thinks she’s reached the height of this place’s opulence she’s introduced to something new.

The bright blue walls, the decorative furniture, classical (real!) paintings with clear brushstrokes and _the view_. The view…she walks forwards towards a large wall of crystal clear windows. Two doors rest before a snow laden balcony that sparkles under the lights of the room and the moon and it makes all the air bottle up in her lungs, it’s so breathtakingly beautiful.

She drifts from it to the bathroom to see a clawfoot tub, sumptuous white towels and a steam shower. It’s like something she could build in The Sims if she used the unlimited money hack. It isn’t real. Right? This place, it’s glorious richness…it can’t be real and she can’t be standing here.

Practically floating, she turns to see a bed large enough for five. It’s swathed with supple blankets and pillows, resting on a four poster wooden frame that would make the gods cry. It takes all her willpower not to jump right in and then Mr. Olin’s voice drifts back to her, “…an adjoining door right here.”

She turns to see him remove the key and unlock another door. Through it is another suite, identical to this one but bathed a cheery sunshine yellow. Shane walks through and whistles, turning in a small circle, “Gotta tell you, Mr. Olin. You’ve got some swanky digs.”

Kelsey waits for the manager to be offended by this less than gushing response to everything they’ve seen, but he merely smiles serenely, apparently pleased, “Again, The Beacon hopes to provide the very best, _be_ the very best. A guidepost for-”

“-the lost soul,” Shane finishes for him, “Yeah, you said. But um, I gotta say, pal, you-you’ve gotta know that neither Kels or me can afford-”

“Money,” Mr. Olin lets out a rather undignified noise (well, undignified for _him_ ), “That, dear sir, has been taken care of.”

“Ah, yeeeah,” Shane draws out, his jaw setting, a vein appearing to tick and Kelsey gets it. This place has become too weird again. Even for the likes of Shane, “Look, I don’t know what this is about, but-!”

“It’s merely about our standards, Mr. Madej,” Mr. Olin vows and looks to Kelsey, “Ms. Impicciche. I assure you, there is no foul play afoot here. We at The Beacon merely wish to provide you both with the assistance you require.”

Kelsey looks to Shane and he looks back. It’s clear neither one of them is comfortable and that they’re sharing something of a mental conversation. A sort of ‘let’s leave and find some place else, a friggin’ regular Holiday Inn instead of this Overlook knockoff’ when Mr. Olin suddenly lets out a deep breath and appears, well, more human than he has since they’ve met him, “Look, stay for the night. This one night. If, tomorrow, you still feel ill at ease, we shall see about finding you accommodations more to your liking. Is that not agreeable?”

Shane shifts from foot to foot. Looks to Kelsey, shrugs. Kelsey looks out the wall of windows again. The snow is still coming down. _Really_ coming down. With a reluctant sigh she turns and gives Mr. Olin a curt nod, speaking to him for the first time, “Okay. One night.”

Mr. Olin claps his hands, “Excellent! I’ll see to your luggage! Feel free to peruse the room service menus located near our landlines or to check out the Dining Room on the first floor. The Wi-fi code is also available near the phones, should you require it.”

Mr. Olin hands the key to Shane and gives him a smooth bow before turning to Kelsey and offering her the same, “May you both enjoy your stay.”

He exits with much the same flourish he appeared and it leaves Shane and Kelsey alone at last. Alone and staring at one another silently asking the other: _So…what now?_

+

“Well…” Shane deadpans with a smirk, “How’s your holiday going?”

Kelsey lets out a dry snort, eyes trailing around each suite, “Yeah, about that…”

“What? You don’t like being dropped into a Stephen King story in the making?”

Her lips screw up to one side thoughtfully, “More of a Dean Koontz fan.”

“Bite your tongue!” he tosses back and she lets out a bright laugh, shaking her head, “No, seriously – not much into either. I had my haunted house adventure – think I’d like to pass on this one...”

“I take it you’re referring to Disney’s Haunted Mansion?”

“Winchester, actually.”

“Shut the front door,” he beams, “You visited my ol’ pal, Sarah?”

She nods, walking in a small circle, still unable to truly take in her surroundings, “Zach and I did a shoot there. Playing a horror game in a real haunted house challenge. It had a decent amount of views.”

“Shame I wasn’t one of them,” Shane leans in the open doorway connecting the two suites and crosses his arms, “What was the challenge exactly?”

“We both had to play a horror game, alone, in one of the dark scary rooms. Whoever lasted the longest won and not to brag, but this girl?” she points both of her thumbs at herself, “Took home the ‘W’.”

Shane’s lips twitch, “Well congratulations, madam.”

“Thank you, sirrah,” she bobs a curtsey and then lets out a heavy sigh as their situation truly sets in, “Seriously though – what are we going to do about this?”

Kelsey waves an expansive hand around them and Shane’s shoulders hitch, “What can we do? It’s a blizzard out there, we have no transportation – seems pretty clear cut to me.”

“But staying here?” her voice is squeakier than she’d like and he assess her critically, “Scared?”

“Uh huh, _yeah_ ,” she stresses the last and asks the next with true incredulity, “You’re not?”

“I mean, I won’t say our circumstances aren’t suspicious, but I still wouldn’t put it past this place to be pulling some sorta publicity scam,” he walks a little closer to her and _oh_. She swallows thickly, eyes kind of misting because, again, he’s _tall_. And here’s the thing…

…she kind of, well, has a _thing_. For tall. For nice. For…

…but it’s also not like she’s spent a lot of time with Shane. It’s just – she’s not _blind_. He’s an attractive guy. Sure, he’s a tad more on the lean side than she normally likes in a man and he’s a lotta leg, but he’s also – he has this _quality_ about him. This ineffable charm. It’s one of the things she’s pretty sure helped the Unsolved brand kick off so hard. It wasn’t that Brent didn’t have his own appeal, but Shane…

…hoo boy, _Shane_.

But he’s been going through a lot lately. She’s heard the whispers. It’s kind of impossible not to, in the environment they work in. It’s beyond inappropriate for her to even direct the slightest thought towards him, all things considered. She doesn’t really _know_ him. Hasn’t spent days upon days with him. They’ve just had…passing interactions.

Honestly, this trip has been the most time they’ve ever spent together. And, again, it’s been nothing but idle chit chat and work talk. Some of which, she notices, he’s casually brushed off. Shut down. The first of which being her asking about Ryan’s whereabouts.

“Eh, he’s at some red carpet thing with Marielle,” was the oblique response she, and anyone else who’s asked, has gotten from him. But she caught it. That slight dimming of the light in his eyes. That quick, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flash of hurt. And then there’s Sara. Kelsey’s too respectful to even begin to ask about that one, but – again – news travels fast in their environment.

And Instagram doesn’t lie.

Or, well, it does – but when one of the people on there is sharing pics of their new digs, new digs that are clearly _not_ in Los Angeles, it tends to lead one to make certain conclusions. Ones that, again, Kelsey will not ask about. Is she curious? Sure, just like anyone would be – but she’s not going to press the issue.

Even if it’s been months since those particular posts – she’s still not going to ask. It’s none of her business. It is, in fact, no one’s business but Shane’s and Sara’s. Not that all of the internet crowd likes that. Any creative work can draw a crowd of fans – some respectful and wonderful and some…less so. Unfortunately the less so half tends to be some of the most vocal.

They ask questions – loudly and repeatedly. No matter how personal. No matter how intrusive. She’s been on the receiving end of such questions – heck, even _demands_. And she’s nowhere near at the level Ryan and Shane are. Sure, she has merchandise now – but it’s not like anything carrying her ideas will wind up for sale at a national retail chain like Hot Topic.

Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej are the heralds of memes, the current crown jewel of the Buzzfeed brand (especially since the Try Guys dipped out) and both good and bad comes with that. A loss of privacy chief among the bad. Kelsey absolutely refuses to be part of that bad and will not ask Shane anything obtrusive. Not now, not ever.

“Kels?”

She blinks and looks at him, realizing that he was talking to her and she got lost in her own head. She blinks rapidly to bring herself back to the present, “Sorry. You were saying?”

“I was saying, I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” his voice is warm and reassuring, “Yeah, this whole thing is suspicious and weird as hell, but I don’t think there’s any potential malice here. And, if there is, we’ve got each other’s backs, right?”

“Right,” she nods and finds she feels about a million times better at those words as she rocks on her heels, “So, any preference?”

“On the rooms?” at her second nod his bottom lip sticks out and he gives a head shake, “Nah. They seem to be mirrors of one another save the colors. Hell, having a real bed is always its own perk. Last season saw a lot of me and the Ry Guy sleeping on shitty, dirt covered floors so, this is a real treat.”

“Hmm, think I’ll stick with this side,” she gestures to the blue suite, “I don’t really care either, but, I mean, I’m already standing in here.”

His eyebrows rise, “And I’m not?”

“Well, you’re right on the threshold,” she motions to the connecting door that leads to the yellow suite and he hums agreeably, “Fair enough. I’m easy. Still didn’t answer my first question though.”

“First-?”

“Your holiday,” Shane walks deeper into her suite, angling himself towards the bed. He perches himself up on the end of it like this isn’t strange at all, “How’s it going?”

Her eyebrows knit together and she walks over to the closest chair. Like everything else they’ve seen – it’s over the top. A vintage buttoned armchair in blue velvet that is far more comfortable than it looks. When she falls into it, she has to restrain herself from letting out a blissful moan. Instead she unbuttons her thick jacket and starts struggling out of it as she answers, “Any reason you’re asking?”

“To make conversation?”

The look she shoots him is its own reply and he chuckles, ducking his head like a guilty schoolboy, “To be honest, I’m just surprised you came to the convention. Doesn’t seem like your kind of shindig.”

Kelsey frowns at him, “I’ve been to plenty of conventions…”

“Yeah, but nowhere near as many as the average Buzzfeeder. Most of us have plodded out there to promote the company, promote our own featured brand – most of the cons you waltz into, you’re not the focus.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s admirable, really. Humble. Your star’s on the rise, but you’ve been playing it pretty close to the vest.”

She scoffs at that, but his expression is earnest, “No, seriously. You do Multiplayer and run your own personal channel, you’ve got your own merch out there – you could push it more, really sell out, but you don’t. I like that.”

Her head rears back a little, “Is that what you think going to conventions is? Selling out?”

Shane runs a hand over his mouth, looks pensive, “No. Not really. Just,” he rubs at the back of his neck now, telegraphing his discomfort, “It’s the holidays. Y’know? Figured you’d be doing something else. Spending time with family, friends – doing a new Collabmas, just…being all,” he tosses one hand around as if it will help him catch the right word. He eventually settles on ‘festive-y’ but cringes at it, clearly thinking he could’ve done better.

However, Kelsey gets his meaning and finds herself brushing her hands down the legs of her jeans, as she shyly admits, “Yeeeeah. Ah, I’m-? I’m not-ah-actually feeling it this year?”

“What?” he gasps it in such a way that she wonders for a moment if he’s not mocking her. But when she looks up into his face, she knows that’s not the case. She actually feels bad for even entertaining such a thought. Shane’s not like that. He’s just…effusive. Kelsey knows she has no room to talk – she’s can be over the top herself.

Those fans? The less-than-stellar ones? They’ve made note of it. She’s seen it in comments on her videos. That she’s ‘trying too hard’ or ‘over acting her emotions’. The implications that she’s ‘playing the cute gamer girl card’ always makes her grit her teeth. She’s not putting on some performance. Sadly, her online persona is pretty much her offline persona.

Sure, maybe she’s a bit showier when the cameras on her, but she doesn’t like to think that people think she’s playing up some fake, cheerleader-y kind of personality for attention. She is who she is. She has downtimes, dark times, as much as anyone else does, but she tries her best to push through them. To stay cheerful and positive.

And it’s not always easy.

This holiday is proof of that.

“Yeah,” is all she can offer and he looks adorably baffled, “But this is one of your favorite holidays, right?”

“I mean…yeah, I like it, but-” she trails off and he repeats the word in an effort to coax her on. It works, but only slightly as she squints at him thoughtfully, “You watched my Collabmas videos?”

“ _Psh_ – you made a giant cookie! ‘Nuff said.”

This gets a cackle out of her and he looks pleased to have produced it. Yet he looks like he still wants to know more, “I mean, I don’t know…normally I AM excited for it. Decorating the tree, the lights, the carols, the presents but…”

She wriggles about in her seat uncomfortably. There is one reason. One she’s too embarrassed to share, so instead she offers meekly, “…I’m just-? I’m not _feeling_ it this year. And I don’t know why – I really don’t and I wish…” her voice grows softer, remorseful, “I wish I _did_. Feel it, I mean.”

Shane loudly claps both of his hands on his kneecaps before rising to his feet, looking determined, “Well, this just will not stand! My mission has become clear!”

“Has it?” is asked with a mixture of amusement and disbelief which he only nods to, “Yes! My mission is to help you feel the holiday spirit!”

Kelsey can’t help but laugh, “Oh yeah? _That’s_ your mission?”

Another nod, “My mission, my cause, my current objective! To help one Kelsey Impicciche get into the Christmas spirit!”

An eyeroll cannot be helped, “How very Hallmark of you…”

He snaps his fingers at that, pointing at her rapidly, voice rising in volume with his excitement, “ _YES_! That’s it! We’ll-we’ll celebrate it the way it’s supposed to be celebrated! Over the top, jingle bellin’, snow sleddin’, tree lightin’ Hallmark’n it!” he raises both arms up in the air, his stance one of total victory, “We’re gonna be Hallmark’n it, ba-beeyyyy!”

Kelsey is laughing so hard now she feels like she’s going to bust a seam. But Shane looks so happy and so raffishly cute, she can’t help but struggle to her own feet and mirror his pose, “Yeah! Hallmark’n it!”

“Hallmark’n it!” he repeats and holds out one of his hands for a high five, which she heartily gives. He turns towards his suite and gives her one last set of thumbs up as he says over his shoulder, “You’ll see! I’m going to go to my room, do a lil’ research and tomorrow? Tomorrow I’ll be helping you get so full of the Holiday spirit, you’ll be like an overstuffed stocking!”

She just laughs more and manages a breathless ‘tomorrow’ as a good-bye, watching as he leaves and shuts the door behind him. Catching her breath she looks around the room and sighs. Well, well – this might not be so bad. The slight creepiness of earlier seems to have vacated the premises and, to be frank, she kind of likes the idea.

Shane and her, working together to churn up some Christmas cheer. Maybe she can even spin it into a video. A new Collabmas. Heartened by the idea, she turns towards the bathroom and decides to give the clawfoot tub a try, curious to see what exactly tomorrow will bring.

+

Kelsey wakes up groggy and confused. It takes her a few minutes to get her bearings, to remember exactly where she is. The bed she’s lounging in is leagues more comfortable than her own. A soft marshmallow she could lose herself in and that’s what first tips her off, allows her mind to wander over past events. She sits up and looks around the lush hotel suite.

So, not a dream then. Sighing, she gets to her feet, gathering her hair up into a messy ponytail. She wraps a nearby robe around herself as she walks over to the curtains and draws them back. The wall of windows reappears, as does the balcony. The snow has stopped, but the world looks icy and cold. A frozen, sparkling wonderland of soft blues and blinding whites.

It makes her squint and shake her head. It’s too early. Coffee is a must. She doubts this place has the kind of smoothie she’d usually devour first thing and the room has a fancy kitchenette. Why not use it? She brews a cup when she hears a tentative knock at the connecting door. She looks over herself, fusses with her hair for a nanosecond before mentally scolding herself, “Come in.”

The door opens and Shane looks very much the same as he did last night. Jeans, wry grin – the only real change is a swap from a flannel to a plain long sleeve black shirt, “Looks like we both kept our kidneys, seeing as I didn’t find you in an ice bath.”

She grabs her coffee and sips, “Plenty of ice outside for it too.”

He hums in agreement before adding, “Think we can also nix a pod people/body snatchers situation albeit that’s hard to test for. Neither of us knows the other well enough to ask questions only the true one of us would know.”

“Precisely,” she offers with a rare evil smirk and raised eyebrows. He laughs, clearly pleased she’s playing along, “Unless, of course, it’s a different alien bent. Like ‘The Thing’ or ‘The Faculty’. But blood tests and tests via drugs seem out.”

“Yeah, think I’ll keep my blood in my body and drugs out of it. Thanks,” she giggles and looks him over, “Plenty other possible scenarios though. Sims: Strangerville, Alien, Stepford Wives…” the words trail off as he walks over and tilts his head down to one side, eyeing her speculatively, “Well, not going to lie, you seems pretty perfect, Kels. But submissive?”

The flash of heat that shoots throughout her body at that suggestion? Totally unfair. And ridiculous. It wasn’t even a suggestion. And even if it was, even if he is flirting (a little, _which he probably isn’t, get ahold of yourself Kelsey_!) it’s harmless. Nothing. Just Shane being playful, which is on brand for him. Regardless, her eyes cut from his as she lets out a shaky snort and busies herself with finishing off her drink.

Unaware of her inner turmoil, he continues, “Yeah, not a submissive bone in your body, so! We should probably just chalk it all up to a weird place, a weird situation, and just…weirdness. Nothing we can’t handle. But something we _can_ handle?”

He reaches into his pocket and draws out a folded up piece of paper. He unfolds it quickly before slapping it down on the nearby coffee table, “Hallmark’n it!”

Kelsey’s brows draw together as she sets her cup to one side and sits down on one of the cushy chairs near the table. She picks up the paper, eyes scanning over the words, even as Shane talks, “I did some research last night. The wi-fi here is pretty damned good. Naturally I looked into our hotel first and it was about as cryptic as Mr. Olin was – didn’t tell me much more than he did. But! It _did_ say we’re in a town called Hope’s Harbor.”

Blue eyes rise up to regard him incredulously, “‘Hope’s Harbor’?”

“I _know_ , right?” he agrees with relish, “‘The Beacon’, ‘Hope’s Harbor’ – hell, it even _sounds_ like we’ve stumbled into a Hallmark film.”

“Hmm, the snowstorm and my current lack of holiday cheer don’t help much…”

“Exactly!” he snaps his fingers, “Which is why I chose to ignore everything else and just turn my attention to our holiday plans. Better to go with the flow than against it, amiright?”

Kelsey’s not certain he is, but she doesn’t see much point in arguing. His plans are certainly more entertaining than anything else going on. Sure, she has her Switch, some books – and there’s always television and this place’s crazy amenities, but nothing has any real pull. The list before her seems far more intriguing and she reads one of the bullet points aloud, “‘Career woman taken down a peg’?”

He takes a seat across from her, “Yeah, I went through a lot of articles about the movie’s formulas, token plot points, what have you. These were the ones that were the most common.”

Kelsey keeps running down the list, “‘Ice skating’, ‘competition to win’, ‘baking cookies’, ‘someone moves to bumforkin’ nowhere for some reason’…”

“Still self-censoring, I see…”

Her gaze shoots to his, “Hey, I told you – Catholic school. In my mind, profanity equals punishment.”

“Really?” he asks and the light in his eyes, the way he asks it, the way he looks so…interested…

 _Kelsey_ , her thoughts hiss, _stop imagining things! Stop being so-so sordid! This is the second time now!_

It’s the second time and she’s starting to wonder if something _didn’t_ happen last night. If she is a pod person, would she even _know_ she’s a pod person? Or would she truly believe she’s Kelsey? Because she’s pretty sure the _real_ Kelsey would never think two inappropriate things in one day and within such a close span of one another.

Swallowing thickly, she focuses back down on the paper, “‘Putting up ornaments on a Christmas tree and discussing childhood Christmases’, ‘Santa the,” Kelsey looks up at him again to stop and sidebar, “I notice you wrote this next word in all caps,” finishing with, “‘REAL Santa’…”

He leans back, fingers threading to clap his hands over his belly, “Yeah, that’s a tricky one. Easier than ghosts though. I mean, theoretically, Santa might and I stress – _might_ – have been real to some degree at some point. Ghosts?” he waggles his head much like he does in the beginning of a lot of Unsolved Supernatural videos, “Total bullshit.”

Internally Kelsey suffers from a mental tug of war, a question turning over and over again in her mind. Finally she just lets it trip out of her mouth, “You’re missing the most major plot point of these films though.”

She prays she doesn’t have to clarify and, thankfully, she doesn’t, “Ah, yes! Figured I’d just take the rom out of these com scenarios. Don’t want any awkwardness.”

“Yeah,” she murmurs and focuses on the paper in hopes it doesn’t show her blush, “Awkwardness.”

Her gaze is locked so stringently downwards she wouldn’t be surprised if the list burst into flame. Her face is already on fire and, what’s worse, his answer actually causes a twinge of disappointment. An irrational one, because it’s not like she wants something romantic with or from Shane. Yes, he’s attractive, but – again – he’s just a friend. An attractive friend.

…dammit.

Mentally (and apparently physically) she shakes herself because Shane pipes up, “Problem?”

“Huh?”

“You just shook your head.”

“I did?” it comes out in a horrified gasp and his amused chuckle as he adds a soft ‘yeah’ only makes her already increased heartbeat jump up another notch. She should lie. Normally she abhors lying and liars, but that would be much better than any _real_ answer.

Which, of course, is when Shane has to ask, “Is the list missing something? I mean, is there something that might specifically get you into the holiday spirit? I’m up for any ideas you might have. This is, after all, a collaborative effort.”

Oh boy.

How serendipitous. How insightful. How much her luck. Her idea? Yeah, there it is. Right in front of her. Glaring and awful and one of, if not _the_ , main reason she hasn’t been in the Christmas spirit this year. Here it is, tangled right up with her disappointment in Shane’s removing the ‘rom’ from the ‘com’.

She’s…lonely.

The ‘Single Girl’ thing is really starting to wear thin. Sure, it’s her signature, but it’s become tedious as time has dragged on. The constant questions from fans – why are you still single? Do you want to marry me? Date Me? Have definitely reached their expiration date (heck, those last two were dead on arrival) and she finds herself…missing something.

Or, well, not just some _thing_. Some _one_.

She knows exactly what she’s missing.

She has her friends, her family, her Chewie, and her great job…but she wants more. She wants someone to spend the holiday with. Someone to hold her hand, to kiss her, to look at her with unabashed desire and affection.

Want.

Love.

It’s what she’s wishing for this Christmas.

Romance.

The one thing he took off the list.

 _As well he should_ , _Kelsey_ , her thoughts hiss, _it’s not like that. Again, FRIEND. All caps, full stop. He’s just your friend and this is an incredibly kind gesture so – y’know – stop being selfish._

Licking her lips she nods and Shane asks with an entertained huff, “Do you know you just nodded this time?”

“I do,” she turns and finally meets his eyes, “I Mean – I don’t really have any ideas per say, but the holidays…I mean, I see all these happy people and usually I can just join right in, but, uh, I guess this year I just…I can’t?”

The last comes out so uncertain and she went with the truth as much as possible, so she’s hoping he won’t ask her to elaborate. Mercifully he doesn’t, “Alright, well! We are out to fix that, aren’t we?”

He snaps up the list from her and shakes it, “How’s about you finish getting ready and we stroll on downstairs, get a bite to eat, and then get our bearings. The snow has stopped, so I figured we could look around a bit and then,” he taps the paper, “We find one of these things to do. Sounds good?”

She manages a smile, “Sounds great.”

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus points for recognizing Mr. Olin (who is not mine) and all of this was thought up well before the announcement of the Water channel, so, just keep that in mind as it progresses. Dedicated to my two fave Shelsey writers. Also, apologies for how long this is going to be - I am, apparently, incapable of writing short fics.


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